Till Death Us Do Part Chapter 1
by Lockhart
Summary: A secret only Mark knows could shatter his life forever and drastically change the future of his wife Elizabeth
1. Default Chapter

Till Death Us Do Part  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Author: Lockhart  
  
E-mail: Katie@ballantyne24.freeserve.co.uk  
  
Category: Mark Greene/Elizabeth Corday  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Spoilers: Just some minor ones for season 7  
  
Archive: Archive my fic on your site if you want but please let me know first  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own ER or any of the characters but I sure wish I did ( especially Carter and Dave ). I am also not a real doctor so any medical information could be innacurate.  
  
Authors Notes: See end of fic  
  
Summary: A secret only Mark knows could shatter his life forever and drastically change the future of his wife Elizabeth  
  
  
  
Mark felt the fresh morning breeze blow gently on his face as he watched the cars pass by his new house. He was certain Elizabeth would love the house, he would do absolutley anything to make the woman he so dearly loved happy. Absolutely anything. At last he had found his true soulmate, the woman he cherished most in the whole wide world. Every morning as he woke up beside Elizabeth Corday he felt like the luckiest man alive. He knew he was destined to spend the rest of his life with her as soon as he caught sight of the British surgeon. At that time though he was tied down in a loveless relationship with Cynthia Hooper, the Er's desk clerk. Cynthis was a lovely woman, but she just didn't understand him at all. At that point he was still trying to come to terms with his recent assault in the mens washroom and simply needed some comfort. Cynthia was looking for commitment and love. With Elizabeth he didn't need to pretend to be someone else, he could relax and have fun. Most importantly he could be himself. I have everything I ever wanted from life,he thought as he watched the sun rise from behind a few white, fluffy clouds. So why now has fate decided to stike me a cruel blow? Why do I now face losing this happiness and content? I simply wanted to grow old in this house beside my beautiful wife, I couldn't face not having her in my life. I just want things to be the way they were before. Before I found out.  
  
"Mark" Elizabeth whispered as she crept up behind him and kissed her husband lightly on the forehead. "You're certainly up early"  
  
"Yeh your snoring kept me awake" he joked, smiling at his beautiful wife.  
  
"What time is your shift?" she asked, taking a seat beside him on the balcony.  
  
"Nine" he answered, never taking his eyes off the woman.  
  
"I'll make breakfast" she replied cheerfully, making her way through to their large kitchen. "How about pancakes drizzled in maple syrup?"  
  
"Sounds delcious" he shouted, glancing up to catcha glimpse of an aeroplane flying by. Although is worst fears had not yet been confirmed, he knew they were true. That these wonderful mornings spent with Elizabeth would never come again. I should enjoy this incredible moment whilst it lasts, he thought sadly. It may be my last.  
  
********  
  
"Morning Dr Greene" Abby greeted the physician as he entered the reception area.  
  
"Hi Abby" he replied, taking off his waterproof jacket. "What have we got this morning?"  
  
"21 year old man complaining of back ache in exam four, 9 year girl in curtain three complains of abdominal pain and there's a 57 year old woman in curtain one who took a nasty fall at home" she informed him.  
  
"No chance of a quiet morning then?" he laughed half-heartilly. "Where's Kerry today?"  
  
"Off, she's still not back from her break in Africa"  
  
"Dr Greene incoming trauma!" Chuny shouted as she ran towards the doctor and nurse. "RTA, three majors, two minors. EMT's are rolling up now"  
  
"Okay clear trauma one and two" Mark ordered, taking control of the situation at once. "Grab Luka, Chen and Carter, page surgery down here too!"  
  
"32 year old male, found drunk at the wheel" Zadro informed as he rushed the patient into the hospital. "Trauma to the head with multiple lacerations. BP's 130/90, pulse 90"  
  
"Thanks Zadro" Mark replied as he helped push the gurney into Trauma One. "Gently on my count folks, 1, 2, 3! Lets get a CBC, ABG, type and cross for four, a PT, blood alcohol level and a tox screen"  
  
"Mark do you need my assistance?" Jing-Mei asked as she appeared at the doorway.  
  
"Yeh" the male attending answered as he listened to the patient's lungs through his stethoscope. "Good breath sounds bi-laterally. Give him 10 of morphine and 100 of lidocaine"  
  
"Pupils open and reactive" Jing-Mei noted as she flashed a penlight into the man's eyes. "Order a Head CT and hook him up to an IV of normal saline"  
  
"His name is...........Rodney Chambers" Chuny told the doctors as she finally found an ID card in the leather wallet he had been carrying.  
  
"Hey leave my stuff alone!" Rodney slurred in his drunken state.  
  
"Charming eh?" Dr Chen grunted in disgust. Personally she didn't think Mr Chambers deserved to live. This maniac had managed to seriously injure a family of four and didn't even seem to show any remorse for his actions. Two innocent children could easily lose their lives because of his stupidity and carelessness.  
  
"Just keep your mind on the job Jing-Mei" Mark replied sternly. Although he did agree with the female doctor, this was no time to let her emotions rule her better judgement. "Call me when the Head CT arrives. What's the bullet Luka?" he inquired as he dashed through to the adjoining trauma room.  
  
"Thirty seven year old male named Ray Dennis, found unconscious in the driver's seat" Luka answered.  
  
"BP's 150/100, pulse tachy at 120" Yosh informed as carefully monitored the patient's vitals.  
  
"Lets get a CBC, Chem 20, ABG, Pulse Ox, chest x-ray and hook him up to an EKG" the Croatian decided as he completed intubation of the patient.  
  
"Give him 10 of morphine and 5cc's bolus every two minutes" Cleo orderd as she started work on inserting a central line.  
  
"100 of lidocaine and we should also get a peritoneal lavage" Mark added.  
  
"No breath sounds on the right, he has a collapsed lung" Luka sighed as he threw his stethoscope back around his broad shoulders.  
  
"Pulse Ox 82" Abby told them worringly as she removed the small clip from the male patient's middle finger.  
  
"BP's falling 110/90!" Yosh shouted loudly across the room.  
  
"Well give him 10 of dopamine and 5 of adenosine, IV Push" Cleo replied.  
  
"GCS score about a 5. I'd give him a 3 for still being alive" Luka shook his head sadly. The situation suddenly brought back memories of his own family's death. The three people he cared about most in the entire world as a result of a country torn apart by a vicious war. The man lying on this gurney bed had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like his beloved wife and children.  
  
*******  
  
"Well what a wonderful way to start the morning" Robert groaned sarcastically as he pushed open the doors to the third trauma room. "Gretyl keeps me awake all night with her constant barking and now I've just arrived in the midst of a multi-victim trauma"  
  
"You lead such a gruelling life robert" Elizabeth replied in disgust. He could try and show at least a little compassion for the little girl lying on theis gurney bed, she sighed in vain. Surely he does have a heart lurking underneath that brash and egostistical exterior. No, that horrible little turd doesn't care about anyone except himself.  
  
"Conni order a belly CT" Carter told the nurse as he examined the terrified little girl.  
  
"Is my Mommy and Daddy okay?" she asked timidly.  
  
"I'm sure they are alright" Dave answered, flashing Jennifer a wide, friendly smile. "What's your favourite cartoon?" he asked, trying his best to take her mind off the horrific accident.  
  
"Winnie The Pooh"  
  
"Really? Well that's my favourite too! I love Tigger, he is just simply the coolest guy on television"  
  
"Nice to know I emply mature adults who watch cartoons aimed at five year olds" Robert replied.  
  
"Oh c'mon Rob, don't tell me you don't like to indulge in watching old kids favourites such as Mickey Mouse every now and then?"  
  
"Do you wish t continue working here in County general Mala...........wucci or whatever the hell your surname is?" he asked rather viciously.  
  
"Nice going Dave" John laughed quietly.  
  
"Sweetheart does it hurt when I press down here?" Elizabeth inquired, gently touvhing her stomach.  
  
"A little" Jennifer nodded. Elizabeth stood upright for a moment and held tightly onto the gurney for support. A slight wave of dizziness passed through her head so she closed her small, emerald eyes and waited for the strong pain to subside.  
  
"Lizzie are you okay?" Dave asked, generally concerned for the surgeon's well-being.  
  
"Fine" she opend her eyes to face him. "Just rather tired"  
  
"BP's 90/70, pulse brady at 60" Lydia interrupted.  
  
"Give her another milligram of dopamine and order an ABG" Carter replied. "Jennifer are you having a little trouble breathing?" The small girl nodded in reply to John's question. "My chest hurts" she whispered weakly.  
  
"Well we're going to have to put a tube down your throat to help you breathe" he explained. "There's nothing to worry about sweetheart, you are in very good hands" As John spoke, Jennifer's eyes slowly closed before the machines around her suddenly started to bleep wildly.  
  
"Pressure's dropping!" Conni screamed at the top of her voice to make sure everyone in the room heard her clearly. "BP 70/50, pulse 50!"  
  
"Jennifer, Jennifer open your eyes" Dave ordered, tapping her chest a couple of times in the hope of a response.  
  
"She's in shock, start two large-bore IVs, normal saline" Elizabeth commanded.  
  
"Run in another 100 of lidocaine" John added as he assisted the other doctors in their desperate attempts to revive the patient.  
  
"And start CPR now!" Robert yelled as he watched Dave commence chest compressions. A tiny thought at the back of his mind told him that the girl didn't stand a tiny chance of survival. No matter what attempts they made to re-start her heart, Jennifer's last moments on this earth had passed. The male surgeon felt a small tear form at the corner of his eye. Why did such a young girl have her life cut tragically short because of an idiot who decided to drive after drinking? Did the man in question even show a glimmer of remorse for his tragic actions? Although the staff of his hospital viewed him as cold-hearted, arrogant, selfish rat, Robert Romano truly did care about the little girl lying on the gurney bed.  
  
*******  
  
"Heart rate's falling!" Yish shouted.  
  
"Push in another milligram of atrophine" Mark ordered as he tried his hardest to repair the patient's collapsed lung.  
  
"Pressure's falling!" Abby told them trying to maintain her usual, calm composure. "Another two units of O Neg going up on the rapid infuser"  
  
"There must be a clot in the thoracic cavity" Mark shook his head. "Page Dr Kayson from Cardiology"  
  
"Dr Greene do you wish to inject TPA?" the female nurse asked him, looking towards him for leadership.  
  
"No" Luka interrupted in a more commanding tone of voice. "We don't know for sure if he actually has a blood clood clot in the coronary artery"  
  
"Yes but if he does have a clot he could die without proper traetment" Mark argued fiercely"  
  
"He might not have a clot though!" Luka snapped back angrily. "If we inject TPA he could die from the powerful drug!"  
  
"We've lost the pulse!" Yosh yelled, attracting the attentions of the two men locked in a bitter arguement.  
  
"Start compressions at once" Cleo ordered. "Give him a milligram of Solumedrol and another 5 of adenosine"  
  
"BP's 160/110, he's hypertensive" Abby said in the midst of all the noise created by the machines all around her.  
  
"He's throwing PVCs" Luka noted as he continued the chest compressions. "100 of lidocaine"  
  
"V-Fib!"  
  
"Paddles" Mark requested as Abby handed the neccesary pieces of equipment over to him. "Charge to 300, clear!"  
  
"Still in V-Fib, crit's down to 81" Cleo spoke.  
  
"Again, charge to 300. Clear!"  
  
*******  
  
"When was the last epi?" John asked as he watched Lydia bag the girl.  
  
"10 minutes ago" the nurse answered sadly.  
  
"That's it" Robert decided. "She's been down too long. Hold the compressions" Dave stood back as he stared at Jennifer, lying motionless on the gurney. Tubes and wires were hooked up to her body, delivering the medicine she so desperately needed to stay alive. Her face as white as snow, as if no blood ran under the flesh.  
  
"Time of death 11:42" Carter said quietly as he pulled off his trauma gown. Pushing the door beside him open, he entered the adjoining trauma room where Mark, Luka and Cleo were working feverishly to resucitate the father.  
  
"Charge to 360, clear!" Mark yelled as he brought the paddles into contact with the patient's chest. "Another 100 of lidocaine, clear!"  
  
"Asystole" Abby said as a flatline appeared on the ECG.  
  
"It's no use" Luks told him. "Time of death 11:45" Mark threw down the paddles bitterly before ripping off his gown and gloves and throwing them on the floor. Wiping the sweat from his brow he suddenly felt a strange twitch in his abdomen. Those thoughts were immediately discarded when Haleh appeared at the doorway beside the patient's wife.  
  
"Oh my goodness Ray!" he woman with short chestnut hair screamed in horror as she rushed into the room. "Ray!" she sobbed, stroking his short jet black hair with her long, slender fingers. "No Ray, I love you. Please don't leave me and the children. I need you ray, the kids need you. Ray, no, no!" Mark watched in sympathy as Mrs Dennis rested her head against her husband's chest. It was sucha tragic sight, a woman in mourning for her dead usband. How would she cope with the pain and grief of losing a loved one? How would anyone cope in the that situation? As mark asked himself those questions, he felt a sharp pain just below his chest. It may have only lasted a couple of minutes but he knew that was the kind of pain he would have to endure in the weeks to follow. "I'm so sorry Mrs Dennis" Mark comforted the distraught woman as he clutched his chest. "I am so sorry"  
  
*******  
  
Mark sat on the steps beside the ambulance bay, feeling the warm sunshine beat down on his forehead. The warm rays of golden sunshine were the only light in his life at the moment. I two hours time he would know the dreadful truth. The truth that would decide the future for Dr Mark Greene.  
  
"Rough morning eh Mark?" John spoke as he took a seat beside the older doctor. He took out a cigarette from his pocket followed by a small lighter.  
  
"Don't you realise that's bad for you" Mark said, nodding towards the cigarette.  
  
"I know, I am a doctor after all" John laughed as he raised it to his mouth, inhaling the sweet nicotine.  
  
"You know I've never told you this Carter, but I'm proud of you. You battled your drug addiction bravely and have managed to stay clean for nearly half a year. It's an honour to be your friend"  
  
"Oh please" John shook his head, feeling rather embaressed at his friend's kind, endearing words. "I should never have needed to go to rehab in the first place. It's a period of my life I am certainly not proud of. After the stabbing I felt so guilty about Lucy's death, I blamed myself for not protecting her properly. In the two years I knew her all I ever did was shout at her, give her an incredibly hard time. As much as the girl tried, she could never do anything to please me. Even when I found out she had stopped taking Ritalin for her hyperactivity I still didn't offer her the support she so richly deserved"  
  
"I'm sure that where ever Lucy is now you are the least of the people she would blame" Mark replied sorrowfully.  
  
"I still have the nightmares" Carter continued. "It is the same image I see every night, Lucy lying still on the cold, concrete floor, covered in litres of her own blood. Her wide eyes open with tremendous fear. Her pale face as white as snow. So I vowed I would never let any patient in my care die. I know it's a pathetic exuse but I turned to the drugs because I though they would help me. I thought they would me through my tiring shifts, my pain, my sorrow.......... It should have been me that died on Valentine's night, not Lucy"  
  
Mark stared sadly at the ground below his feet, watching his tall shadow from above. What did it actually mean to die? What would it be like knowing you only had a few hours left in this wonderful world? Would there be life after death, or would that be it? After you pass away you simply become a memory in the minds of the people you love? How do the fiends and relatives that you leave behind cope? How do you manage to cope? There were so many questions running through his mind that remained unanswered. "Don't dwell on the past too much John" he finally replied, standing up from his seat on the steps. "Enjoy your life whilst you still can. You never know when it might be cruelly snatched away from you" he strolled away in the direction of the hospital entrance leaving Carter to ponder on his last words. What did his friend's words exactly mean?  
  
********  
  
"Scalpel" Robert ordered as his surgical nurse Shirley handed him over the desired instrument. "So Lizzie, are you enjoying life in your new home with lover boy?" he asked, looking up at her with a grin on his face.  
  
"If you are referring to Mark then yes, we love our new home" Elizabeth replied, glaring at her boss who stood on the opposite side of the gurney from her.  
  
"How sickenly sweet" he laughed. "You must invite me over for dinner one night"  
  
"I'd rather sell my soul to the devil" she muttered under her breath.  
  
"Ouch Lizzie! You certainly do know how to hurt a man's feelings. I thought we were the best of friends now, obviously I am mistaken"  
  
"Suction" she requested, barely able to hide her annoyance and frustration at the man.  
  
"Uh oh" Robet said suddenly as he paused for a moment from operating. "There's a small tear to the bottom left of the liver"  
  
"You're joking" Elizabeth sighed. Normally a simple operation would be no problem for the experienced female surgeon but in the last hour she had experienced some nausae and dizziness. All she wished to do was lie down for an hour, not repair a man's liver. Especially the liver of a man who had just torn a family of four apart, killing the father and daughter.  
  
"Me joke, never!" Robert exclaimed sarcastically. "What's wrong Elizabeth? Can't you keep up with the big boys now?"  
  
"I just feel slightly sick" she answered, tilting her head to the side slightly.  
  
"Well when you have just cracked open a man's chest to reveal a lot of blood and organs, sometimes you do feel slightly nauseated" he mocked her. "It certainly does put me off the steak dinner I have planned for tonight"  
  
"No I think I am really going to be sick" she panicked dropping the sponge she was holding in her right hand. "Excuse me Robert" Quickly pullling off her gown and gloves, she held her hand to her mouth and dashed in the direction of the ladies toilets.  
  
"Lizzie get your ass back over here now!" yelled a bewilldered Romano. "Damn it" he quielty cursed as he watched her run into the distance of the surgical department.  
  
*******  
  
Mark walked slowly down the empty corridor. Every step nearer to the room grew heavy on his heart, the same heart that was beating extremely fast. He had been fretting whether to turn up for this vital appointment or not. Did he want the truth or should he perhaps just live in blissful ignorance to it? Would lving without the facts be better or worse? It was a rhetorical question he could keep on asking himself. No one would answer him though, it had to be his decision alone. This is it, he gulped in fear as he knocked on the grand wooden door. I'm doing this for you Elizabeth. You deserve to know the truth my love. "Dr Michaels" Mark acknowledged as he entered the small, cosy room.  
  
"Dr Greene" the man nodded as he sat down in his large leather chair. "We have your test results back"  
  
********  
  
"What can I say?" Carter laughed in astonishment. "Congratulations Elizabeth!"  
  
"You mean I'm pregnany?" she asked, staring at the ultrasound screen, trying her hardest to make out a clear image.  
  
"looks to me like you are about eight or nine weekd pregnant" John replied.  
  
"That's.......that's great!" she squealed in delight, jumping up from the bed to hug the male doctor in excitement. "I simply can't believe it, Mark and I are going to be parents!"  
  
"I am very happy for you both" he told her honestly. "Mark will be absolutely thrilled with the news"  
  
"Thanks again John" Elizabeth hugged him for a second time. "I can't wait to tell him the great news"  
  
"Uh Elizabeth" John called after her as the female surgeon turned to leave the room. "Is Mark okay? It's just that he seemed a little depressed when I talked to him this morning. There's nothing wrong, is there?"  
  
"Mark's fine" she reassured him. "It's probably just the stress of moving house recently"  
  
"Yeh you're right" John laughed, feeling rather embaressed for asking such a silly question. "I'm sure he is fine"  
  
********  
  
Mark turned the key inside the golden lock and pushed open the door to his house. He had taken a long walk after work to help clear his head. So many worrying thoughts were flooding his mind that he just couldn't think properly. I have to tell her, he sighed, hanging his jacket on a small hook in the hallway. But how exactly am I supposed to tell her? Will she cope well with the news? How am I supposed to cope?  
  
"Mark you're home" Elizabeth rushed over to where her husband stood, a worried expression across her small face. "Your shift ended two hours ago"  
  
"I decided to take a walk" he replied, glancing away from her concerned stare. He simply couldn't look her in the eyes anymore. It simply broke his heart into a thousand and one tiny pieces.  
  
"Anyway" she smiled happily. "I've cooked us a special dinner, we have something to celebrate"  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"I'm pregnant Mark" she finally told him. Mark's face fell as he heard her utter those three little words. Pregnant? No, this couldn't possibly be happening. He didn't want Elizabeth to be carrying his child at this moment in life. He didn't want her to be pregnant at all. No, surely this couldn't be happening to him. "Mark?" she gently broke him out of his thoughts. "Mark, speak to me. Mark!" He looked sadly at her before walking slowly through to their bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he sat down on the edge of their large bed and broke down into a flood of tears. Behind the wooden door stood a distraught Elizabeth, wondering why her husband could not accept his unborn child.  
  
Authors Notes: Just a note to say that this fanfic does not in anyway follow the storyline of Mark's brain tumour in ER. As you read the next few chapters my fanfic will take a few new twists and turns. So what is Mark hiding from Elizabeth? Why can't he accept the baby? Can the relationship between the two doctors survive? Find out in part two of Till Death Us Do Part! Also I would like to thank Starkid for all the great help in this story, this fanfic is for you! 


	2. Till Death Us Do Part Chapter 2

Till Death Us Do Part  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Author: Lockhart  
  
E-mail: Katie@ballantyne24.freeserve.co.uk  
  
Category: Mark Greene/Elizabeth Corday  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Spoilers: Just some minor ones for season 7  
  
Archive: Archive my fic on your site if you want but please let me know first  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own ER or any of the characters but I sure wish I did ( especially Carter and Dave ). I am also not a real doctor so any medical information could be innacurate.  
  
Authors Notes: See end of fic  
  
Summary: Continuation of Till Death Us Do Part Chapter 1  
  
  
  
Kerry Weaver lifted the small glass to her lips and sipped the white wine inside. A few hours ago she had just returned from her short break in Africa. She had needed to distance herself from the chaos and stress of working in the extremely busy ER. Even if it was only for a fortnight. Ever since moving to Cook County General, Kerry had felt like an outsider. Perhaps she wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with, but deep down she had a heart of gold Sometimes it was just hard for her to express her true feelings and thoughts. It was especially hard after her turbulent childhood she had experienced. To this present day Kerry still wondered why her mother had given her up for adoption. Was she simply the unwanted result of a meaningless fling, a mere accident? She prayed not though. She prayed her mother had given her away because she wished for her daughter to have the best life possible, a life she could not have provided. It must feel incredibly horrible not to have the love of the woman who brought you into this world. The woman who carried you around in her womb for nine months and gave birth to you. Although her adoptive parents had been kind and caring, Kerry still felt rather deceived. For twenty years of her lofe, she grew up around people she believed were her family. It hurt so badly when she found out that she wasn't actually a part of that family. Perhaps it would have been better if I never found out the truth, she thought, taking another sip of her favourite wine. Living a lie might have been better than knowing all the facts. Sometimes the truth only brings unhappiness and pain. Two years ago Kerry's search finally ended when she found her long lost mother. By that time though, she was critically ill and couldn't even recognise the little girl she gave away all those years ago. As Kerry stroked her mother's soft hair and watched her pass away peacefully in her sleep, the female doctor had never felt so completely alone and empty in her whole life. It was as though a part of her died as well. I can only hope my mother didn't feel any pain, she reflected on the death whilst wiping away a single tear that trickled down her cheek. That wherever she is now, she is happy. Throughout the years Kerry had adjusted to living her life all alone. Any person she grew close to left her - Ellis West, Jeanie Boulet, Gabe Lawrence.... Perhaps I'm destined to spend eternity alone, she chuckled half-heartilly. I will simply die an old, lonely woman. People will speak of me, using the past to twist my deeds into their own interpretation. Kerry sighed deeply as gulped back the remaining few drops of wine that lay at the bottom of her glass. Her thoughts turned to the English surgeon Elizabeth Corday. She had always admired Dr Corday, the female surgeon seemed such a popular, independant woman. Yet she too was once an insider, moving away from the comfort of her friends and family in Great Britain. Sometimes Kerry wished she was living Elizabeth's life, not her own troubled one..... Suddenly a loud knock at the front door interrupted her deep thoughts. "Hang on a second" Weaver shouted as the loud pounding persisted. "I'm coming!" she growled, opening the door wide to meet a distraught and upset Elizabeth.  
  
"Hello Kerry" the surgeon cried as she wiped away the tears that were streaming down her pale cheeks like a waterfall. "I've left Mark"  
  
*******  
  
"He didn't want the baby?" Kerry asked in utter disbelief of Elizabeth's shocking statement. "Why?"  
  
"I don't know" Elizabeth shook her head sadly. "I honestly don't know. He said he wasn't ready for a baby, especially at this period of time. So I packed a bag and told him if he didn't want our child then perhaps I din't want him to be my husband"  
  
"Do you still love him?" Kerry asked wrapping her arm around the distraught woman.  
  
"Of course I do!" Elizbath exclaimed as she raised her head from her hands. "I've never loved any man like I loved Mark. He's my life, my future, he's the man I'm destined to grow old with. I still want to be with him but.......but"  
  
"But what?"  
  
"I have a baby to think about now" the English woman answered. "I have to put my child first now, it's future is more important than anything. I can't bring a baby into an environment where it's own father can't accept it"  
  
"Well you are welcome to stay here as long as you like" Kerry replied pouring out a glass of wine to calm her friend's nerves.  
  
"Thank you Kerry" Elizabeth briefly smiled. Her knees were shaking and her body felt as cold as ice. When Mark first proposed to her, she thought that it would be the start of a dream. A wonderful life of marriage, kids, and spending years together as a happy couple. It was funny how easily such dreams could be shattered like a glass vase shattering against a concrete floor. Suddenly she felt all alone and empty, facing life as a single parent without the man she adored beside her. Sometimes life could be so cruel.  
  
*******  
  
Mark sat all alone staring outisde the large sitting room window. The house seemed so quiet and miserable without his beautiful fiancee there. I should have told her, Mark said to himself, reflecting on what actions he should have taken to stop Elizabeth leaving. She deserved to know the hole truth. I wanted this child more than anything in the world, she's left because she thinks I don't love her and the baby. Of course I wanted to cradle my son or daughter in my arms, kiss him or her goodnight, hear their very first words. But most of all I wanted to watch my child grow up before my very own eyes. Now I might not get to celebrate their very first birthday, watch him start school, walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. I don't want to contemplate a life where my own flesh and blood grows up without a father, I don't want to leave Elizabeth all alone in this world. I simply don't want to die. With those thoughts Mark burst into a flood of tears, burying his face in his hands. Frightened, he sat alone in the dark room in fear of the future, a future where he might not live to see next year. Life could be so cruel sometimes.  
  
*******  
  
"Good morning Dr Weaver" Abby smiled politely as the Chief of the Er entered the reception area. "Dr Romano phoned earlier, he wants to see you at his office at 11am to discuss the budget" she told her.  
  
"Thanks Abby" Kerry replied sarcastically. "Drs Carter and Kovac are late, a double trauma is coming in and I have a budget meeting later, life couldn't get any better"  
  
"Actually Luka won't be coming in at all, he switched his shifts with Dr Chen" Abby said timidly, worried of Kerry's usual fierce reactions.  
  
"Great" the red haired woman barked as she threw a pile of charts onto the desk. "Why doesn't he just take the next week off? Abby tell Dr Kovac that next time he wishes to change his shift could he please have the courtesy to consult me first"  
  
"Mark said it would be fine" the nurse replied quielty before making a hasty exit to a nearby exam room.  
  
Kerry ran a hand through her short hair and sighed loudly. She was extremely angry at Mark for the way he had treated Elizabeth the night before. He didn't deserve to have the love and respect of such a fine woman when he couldn't even bring himself to love the child she was carrying. Their child. She used to believe Mark was a good man, feeling sympathy for him when he was savagely beaten up in the mens washrooms a couple of years back. But what kind of a man would leave his fiancee to bring up their child herself? Ddn't he feel a measure of guilt or shame? I'll look after Elizabeth, Kerry vowed. I know Mark will always hold that special place in her heart, but I'll make sure her and the baby are alright. I'll hug her when she cries and hold her hand when she goes into labour. For that's what friends should do, stick by each other, no matter what.  
  
*******  
  
"Well well Lizzie, I never thought you would actually do it" Robert grinned as he appeared at the doorway of Elizabeth's office.  
  
"If you don't mind Robert I'm rather busy finishing these charts" the English surgeon sighed as she refused to meet his mockful stare.  
  
"Refusing to comment Lizzie, I completely understand" he continued as he took a seat at her desk. "So were things not alright in the Greene household? A little trouble in paradise perhaps?"  
  
"Oh why don't you stop being such an arrogant prick!" she cried throwing her pen down to the desk in a flood of tears. "What would you understand about love Robert? You stroll into my office and mock me about losing the man I love most in the world. I'm two and a half months pregnant, my family is over in England and I'm all alone. I'm scared, scared I'm going to face a future of bringing up a child myself. Scared I have to tell this baby that his father simply didn't want it. I just want things to be the way they were before" Robert watched the hysterical woman before him with sympathy, he honestly did feel sorry for her. He could well relate to Elizabeth's problem over what to tell the kid concerning it's father. Robert knew the painful truth of having a father who simply didn't want you, who merely thought of you as an accident. It hurt so badly not to have the love of a parent, especially a man you were supposed to look up to and admire. Robert walked over to the sobbing Elizabeth and wrapped his arms around her. Although he may seemed cold on the outside, he did have a warm heart inside. "I do understand Elizabeth" he whispered gently into her ear. For I do love you, he said to himself.  
  
********  
  
"Hang another unit of O Neg on the rapid infuser" Kerry instructed as she tried her best to stop her patient's bleeding. "Give her 10 of morphine and 5 of atrophine"  
  
"Need some help in here Kerry?" Mark asked as he appeared at the doorway of the trauma room, putting on his gloves.  
  
"No I'm fine Mark" the woman replied sternly, not wishing to be in his company at all. "See if Cleo and Luka need some help with the teenager in Trauma 2"  
  
"No they're taking the kid up to surgery now" the male doctor continued as he walked over to where Kerry was standing. "What's the bullet?" he asked, gesturing to the female patient lying on the gurney.  
  
"26 year old female, blunt trauma to the chest" Lydia answered. "BP's 130/90, pulse 110"  
  
"Diminished breath sounds on the right, order a chest x-ray" Kerry ordered. "Get a CBC, Chem 7, PT, blood gases and hook her up to an EKG monitor, stat!"  
  
"Pulse Ox 86" Haleh told them. "Pulse is falling"  
  
"Angie we need to put a tube down your throat to help you breathe, okay sweetheart?" Kerry explained, although the woman probably didn't understand what was going on. "Conni get the intubation tray"  
  
"Okay start an IV of normal saline and lets raise the epi" Mark said to the nurses.  
  
"I can't see the chords" Kerry shook her head as she struggled with the intubation. "We'll need to keep a mask on her"  
  
"Laryngoscope" the male physician took the instrument from Weaver's hands.  
  
"What are you doing Mark?" she asked angrily.  
  
"Trying to intubate, okay I can just about see the chords....."  
  
"She needs oxygen, step away and put the mask back on now"  
  
"Pulse is still falling!" Conni shouted worringly.  
  
"Dr Greene I'm not going to ask you again, step away from the patient" the Chief snapped.  
  
"Okay I'm in, bag her" Mark announced as he slid the tube down the patient's mouth.  
  
"When I give you an order I expect you to listen to me" Kerry barked at the man. "I am the Chief of the Emergency Medicine so you follow my instructions"  
  
"What's your problem Kerry?" he asked the woman. "The patient is fine now"  
  
"What if she had died whilst you spent precious minutes trying to intubate her?"  
  
"But she didn't die did she?"  
  
"That's not the point Mark! She's my patient and I am in charge of her best interests......."  
  
"You know what Kerry, have it your own way then! I am was just trying to help but I can see it's not wanted here" With those last bitter words Mark strormed out of the trauma room in an angry blaze. Kerry knew that she was not upset with him about his treatment of the patient, but his cruel treatment of his wife.  
  
********  
  
"Mark are you okay?" John asked as he approached the older man. "You seemed a little upset earlier"  
  
"No not really" Mark shook his head. "You never realise how precious life is until it's too late" he started talking as he looked out upon the view of Chicago city. "It's a beautiful world out there. Sometimes we don't realise that we take life for granted"  
  
"I heard about you and Elizabeth" John replied as he looked down to the ground. "I'm so sorry"  
  
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always persevers. When I heard those words in church one day I didn't believe in them. I didn't believe in love. When Jennifer divorced me I didn't think I could find happiness again, that I would spend the rest of my life searching for something that wasn't there at all. Then I found Elizabeth"  
  
"What are you talking about Mark?" Carter asked, trying to understand his friend's words.  
  
"Elizabeth is my life, she means everything to me. When she leaves our house in the morning, a part of me leaves with her. I only feel complete when I'm by her side. I've been in love with her from the moment I met her, I'd do absolutely anything for her. Now I stand here watching over a beautiful city without the woman I love. I've lost her, our child, and soon everyone and everything I've ever known"  
  
"You and Elizabeth can still patch things up" John interrupted trying to sound hopeful. "You are a strong couple, you can pull through your problems together"  
  
"You don't understand John" Mark shook his head sadly. "I'm dying"  
  
"Wha.....what? You're dying? No, no, you're joking, you can't be dying. Mark, Mark?"  
  
"I wish I was joking, I really wish I was. I have pancreatic cancer, the doctors told me I have no chance of recovery. I experienced pains in my abdomen a couple of months ago, told myself that if they didn't go away in a week's time I would go to a doctors. The weeks passed by but I never went, kept telling myself that it was nothing to worry about and that the pains would go away. I finally found the courage to go a few days back, ot was then I found out the painful truth. I would have went before but......but I was so scared John. I'm still scared, I'm dying and I don't know what to do..........I don't know........"  
  
"Shhhhh, it's going to be okay Mark" Carter whispered as he hugged his frightened friend. "We'll get through this, you hear me, we'll pull through"  
  
"I never imagined my life would end like this" the older man cried, his eyes filling with tears at every word he spoke. "There's so much I wanted to do, now I'm not going to get the chance. I'm still young, but in a few months time I will be gone. It's like a timebomb just waiting to explode. I know I'll no longer be able to walk into the hospital and treat patients, look out at the view of the city where I live, watch Elizabeth sleep peacefully beside me"  
  
"Does Elizabeth know yet?"  
  
"No, I couldn't find the courage to tell her. How could I tell my wife I would no longer be with her by the end of the year. She's pregnant with my child. I want that baby so badly, but I'm not going to be around to bring it up. That's why I left Elizabeth, because I can't face losing the two people I cherish most in the world. I'm going to be a father yet I'll not see my son or daughter being born. I'll die leaving Liz all alone. What about Rachel? She's such a wonderful daughter, doesn't deserve to experience this emotional pain. Two children left without a father. I wish......I wish I could turn back the hand of time........... I don't want to die John......I don't want to die"  
  
Carter nearly cried at his friend's heartbreaking words. Mark would soon be gone and would lose the wonderful love and happiness of his wife and children. John suddenly realised how precious life was and that he should seize every opportunity he could as it may never come again. Mark realised this too late though.  
  
********  
  
Elizabeth sat in the staff lounge tapping her nails across the mug of warm coffee she was holding. Her eyes were dark and distant, and her face was as white as snow. Her long curly locks of hair were tangled together in a series of knots, she simply didn't look like her normal self. She didn't care though, why should she make an effort to look good when there was no point? She turned around to watch the wooden lounge room door open and her upset husband walk in.  
  
"Tell her" Carter said quietly behind him as he shut the door and left the pair alone together.  
  
"Elizabeth" Mark started as he took a seat beside her. "I have something important to tell you"  
  
Author's Notes: So will Mark finally tell Elizabeth he is dying? How will she take the news? What do the next few months hold for the ill Mark? What will his daughter Rachel do if she discovers the truth? What about Robert's love for Elizabeth? And how will the Mark/ Kerry saga unfold after the latest revelations? Find out in chapter 3 of Till Death Us Do Part. Ideas and feedback are of course welcome. E-mail me at Katie@ballantyne24.freeserve.co.uk 


	3. Till Death Us Do Part Chapter 3

Till Death Us Do Part  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
  
Author: Lockhart  
  
E-mail: Katie@ballantyne24.freeserve.co.uk  
  
Category: Mark Greene/Elizabeth Corday  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Spoilers: Just some minor ones for season 7  
  
Archive: Archive my fic on your site if you want but please let me know first  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own ER or any of the characters but I sure wish I did ( especially Carter and Dave ). I am also not a real doctor so any medical information could be innacurate.  
  
Authors Notes: See end of fic  
  
Summary: Continuation of Till Death Us Do Part Chapter 2  
  
Elizabeth leaned forward and kissed her husband gently on the forehead as he lay sleeping peacefully. It was hard to believe that these mornings spent together would never come again. Last night Mark told her the painful truth of his condition. She felt so incredibly guilty now, spending those precious hours hating him while he sat alone knowing he was going to die. Those hours could have been spent together enjoying each others company, instead she had left him to cope with his terrible secret all by himself. "Forgive me Mark" she whispered into his ear as she cuddled into the side of his warm body. "Please don't leave me" As the snow started to fall outside, the couple huddled together in the comfort and safety of each others arms. It could very well be their last morning together.  
  
********  
  
"How about scrambled eggs and toast?" Elizabeth suggested as she walked through to the sitting area from the kitchen. "Or waffles, strawberries and cream? Anything you want Mark I'll make it"  
  
"I'm not an invalid" Mark replied as he stood up from his position on the comfy couch. "I am able to cook my own breakfast" As he took a step forward he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen which for a second caused him to lose his balance.  
  
"Mark!" she exclaimed as she rushed over and steadied the man. "Mark are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine, just a little pain that was all"  
  
"Come on sit down" she instructed as she helped her husband take a seat on the nearby couch. "Are you sure you are okay?"  
  
"I've come to expect the pain now" he said sadly to her. "It gets worse as every day goes past"  
  
"Mark........" she called his name, almost close to tears  
  
"It's okay Elizabeth" he told her in a quiet soothing tone whilst stroking her long, curly hair. "You don't have to say anything at all"  
  
"I'll always be here for you my love" she promised, wrapping her arms around the dying man. "I'll never leave your side" It had been months now since Elizabeth had found out she would soon lose the man she loved. Every day that passed she wondered if this was his last. The last time she would be able to watch him brush his teeth, the last time they would kiss, the last time they would wake up in each others arms. She hoped and prayed that that day would never come. Mark too woke up every morning in dread of what the day might hold. He wanted to spend every minute possible with his wonderful wife but the thought that this could be the day he died never left his head. It had been two momths now since he had stopped working at Cook County General hospital. He missed the place though - the familiar surroundings, his friends and collegues, the pride and satisfaction of saving another human's life. He had seen so many miracles at that hospital that he prayed he would be another one. That maybe the doctors were wrong and he did stand a chance a of surviving the illness. It was such a terrible feeling knowing you were going to die. A feeling of dread and upmost fear. Would it be painful when he passed away? Would there be life after death? Or was that it, after you die there is nothing beyond that boundary? Mark wondered if this was how his mother and father felt when they lost their own battles of survival. I love you Mark, his father had struggled to say to him. Was that what awaited Dr Greene in the next few weeks? Hooked up to machines, barely able to speak, relying on others to look after him. I don't want to end up like that, he shook his head. I don't want Elizabeth to have to watch me suffer in pain. "I'll always be there for you too" he promised his wife, kissing her on the forehead. "Even when I'm gone, look to the stars and I'll be waiting there for you. I'll never leave your side, never"  
  
********  
  
Mark walked through the grand doors of the hospital to meet familiar faces and surroundings. It felt as though he had never been away from the place.  
  
"Mark what are you doing here?" Kerry asked as she limped over to there the man stood.  
  
"Well hello Kerry, nice to see you too" the male physician replied sarcastically  
  
"How are you Mark?"  
  
"I'm doing okay I guess, as well as can be expected. Elizabeth's having her scan this morning so I'm here to be with her"  
  
"I want to apologise" Kerry said suddenly as she sadly looked down to the floor. "I was so cruel to you after Elizabeth turned up on my doorstep. I jumped to the conclusion that you didn't want your child, and I shouted at you when I had no right to. I am so sorry Mark, from the bottom of my heart I apologise to you"  
  
"You're a good friend Kerry" Mark replied, feeling touched by the Chief's heartwarming apology. "Never forget that you're a good person. Don't waste time reflecting on the past, make the most of your life while you still can. Look forward to the future bacause you'll never know when it might be snatched from you"  
  
********  
  
Mark clasped Elizabeth's hand tight as they watched in anticipation for the picture of their unborn child to appear on the monitor.  
  
"Don't worry Mr and Mrs Greene, you are expecting a normal, healthy child" Janet Coburn smiled with delight. "Would you like to know the sex?"  
  
Mark's heart sank as he studied the picture of the tiny baby. He was overjoyed of course that Elizabeth was pregnant but he knew he wouldn't be around to watch it grow up. He wouldn't be able to witness it's birth, watch it's first steps or hear it mutter his or her's first words. Tears formed at the corner of Mark's eyes as he suddenly realised that this was probably the last time he would see his kid.  
  
"Mark" Elizabeth called out his name, breaking him out of his deep thoughts. "Do you want to know the sex?"  
  
"Yeh" he nodded in reply.  
  
"Looks to me like you are expecting a bouncing baby boy" Janet informed them. "Congratulations"  
  
"A boy" Mark uttered happily. "We're going to have a son Elizabeth"  
  
"I know" shw whispered lovingly. "And we're going to call him Mark, after his wonderful father" Mark held her in his warm embrace, never wishing to let go of the woman in his arms. He then placed his hand on top of her growing bump, on top of his son.  
  
********  
  
"Congratulations" a deep Croatian voice laughed behind Elizabeth who was looking at a picture all by herself.  
  
"Thank you Luka" the female surgeon replied as she showed him the ultrasound photo. "It's a boy"  
  
"How are you and Mark?" he asked, taking a seat beside her.  
  
"Mark's putting on a brave face. Me........I'm..........I'm scared" she answered tearfully. "I'm scared to death of losing him Luka. I can't imagine life without him, I don't want to think about a world where he doesn't exist anymore. I don't think I can wake up every morning if he's not lying by my side. I don't see a point"  
  
"Stop right there Elizabeth" Luka ordered. "You have to be strong now, for Mark and for the baby. You do have something to live for, you are carrying a child"  
  
"You lost your wife and children in the war didn't you?" she inquired.  
  
"Yes" the tall, brooding doctor answered sadly. "Not a day goes by where I don't miss them. Time is a great healer though, I've come now to accept I have lost them. All I can do is hope that someday we will all be reunited. Sometimes I still wake up in the mornings expecting them to be sitting around the table eating breakfast. You have to move on though, you have to carry on living your life. Anything I do now I do for them. Even though they are dead, my family are still with me. They will always be with me"  
  
"Thank you Luka" Elizabeth smiled, grateful for his kind, helpful advice. "Thank you"  
  
********  
  
Mark sat alone in the reception chairs waiting for Elizabeth to finish her shift. They were planning on having dinner at one of his favourite Italian restaurants. At that moment he glance up to see a panic stricken Abby dashing towards him.  
  
"Dr Greene have you seen Carter?" she asked him, a little out of breath from running so fast. "His patient is going south and I can't seem to find Luka, Weaver or Malucci either" Mark paused for a brief moment before standing up.  
  
"What did the patient present with?" he asked, grabbing a pair of latex gloves and following Abby's lead to Curtain Three.  
  
"17 year old male, stab wound to the chest and upper left quadrant"  
  
"How much blood already lost?"  
  
"200 cc's from the chest tube" Chuny informed him of the patient's critical condition.  
  
"Okay 100 of lidocaine, 10 of morphine and start a round of 5cc's bolus every minute"  
  
"Pressure's 90 systolic" Yosh told the doctor worringly.  
  
"Weak breath sounds" Mark noted as he listened to the teenager's breathing through Chuny's stethoscope. "Lets get a CBC, blood gas and urine analysis"  
  
"Lost the pulse!" Abby yelled. "Starting chest compressions!"  
  
"Thoracotomy tray now!" Mark ordered.  
  
"We're in PA" Chuny shook her head in worry. The nurses stood back as they watched Mark skillfully guide the sternal saw down the young man's chest.  
  
"Okay rib spreader" Mark asked for the particular piece of equipment.  
  
"Dr Greene there's a large infusion here" Abby pointed out.  
  
"She's hemorrhaging!" Yosh panicked as he closely watched the monitors that the patient was hooked up to.  
  
"Scalpel" Mark ordered as he tried his best to suture the large wound.  
  
"Give us a little suction" Chuny requested as she helped him try to control the massive internal bleeding.  
  
"V-Fib!" Yosh shouted as the machines around the team started to bleep wildly.  
  
"Charge the paddles to 100" Abby instructed.  
  
"Okay, charging, clear!" Mark called out as he placed the paddles into the depths of the teenager's cracked chest.  
  
"We're still in V-Fib" she shook her head worringly as she resumed compressions.  
  
"Another round of atrophine and charge the paddles to 200, clear!"  
  
"Back in sinus tach" Yosh noted. "I've got a weak radio pulse as well"  
  
"Okay page surgery and make sure they have an OR ready" Mark spoke to Chuny as he suddenly felt an extremely, sharp, shooting pain in his abdomen. It felt as though somebody was stabbing him with a very sharp butcher knife. As the pain increased and became less bearable, the room started to spin around the frightened physician. The figures of the nurses became colourful blurs against the white walls of the room.  
  
"Dr Greene are you okay?" Abby asked in fear. "Dr Greene speak to us!" Suddenly everything turned black as Mark slumped to the cold, concrete floor............  
  
********  
  
Kerry walked through the doors of the Intensive care Unit and headed towards the bed where Mark lay resting. "Where's Elizabeth?" she asked, taking a seat beside the dying man.  
  
"She went to fetch a cup of coffee" he answered weakly. His eyes were dark and gloomy and his body was thin like a skeleton. It was hard to recognise the man was the same Mark Greene who a few months ago was saving lives in the Emergency Room. "Listen Kerry, I need to ask you something of great importance"  
  
"Sure, what is it?"  
  
"I know I'm not going to be alive for much longer..........."  
  
"Mark don't speak like that" she pleaded with him sadly.  
  
"It's the truth though, what's the point in lying? I know I'm not going to be there for Elizabeth when she gives birth but I want you to be there for her. I'm asking you to look after her for me when I'm not there. Please take good care of Elizabeth and our son"  
  
"Of course" Kerry nodded with tears in her eyes. "I'll make sure they're both alright"  
  
"Thank you" he whispered.  
  
"Kerry?" a surprised Elizabeth exclaimed as she walked into the room clutching her coffee.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone" Weaver smiled as she exited through the door. "Take care Mark" were her parting words as she left.  
  
"Rachel's plane has been delayed due to bad weather" Liz told her husband. "She might not arrive in Chicago till late tonight"  
  
"There's a letter.......in my jacket pocket" he replied, struggling to sit upright in the bed. "Could you make sure she gets it?"  
  
"Certainly" the English woman agreed. She held his hand tightly, sliding her long slender fingers around his, and resting their hands on her large bump.  
  
Sometimes late at night  
  
I lie awake and watch her sleep  
  
She's lost in peaceful dreams  
  
So I turn out the lights and lie there in the dark  
  
And the thought never crosses my mind  
  
If I never wake up in the morning  
  
Would she ever doubt the way I feel  
  
About her in my heart  
  
"Elizabeth, I love you" Mark spoke straight from the heart. "I will always love you. One of the hardest things in life is to find true happiness. I was lucky to be blessed with such a beautiful, kind, wonderful wife. You never realise what a good life you have until it's too late. I wish.....I wish we had more time together, I wish I didn't have to leave you"  
  
If tomorrow never comes  
  
Will she know how much I loved her  
  
Did I try in every way to show her every day  
  
That she's my only one  
  
And if my time on earth were through  
  
And ahe must face the world without me  
  
Is the love I gave her in the past  
  
Gonna be enough to last  
  
If tomorrow never comes  
  
"Even though I'm not here, I'll always be watching over you" he continued. "If you need help, guidance or an answer just look to the stars and I'll be waiting for you. But be brave, be strong, and live........for me"  
  
Cause I've lost loved ones in my life  
  
Who never knew how much I loved them  
  
Now I live with the regret  
  
That my true feelings for them never were revealed  
  
So I made a promise to myself  
  
To say each day how much she means to me  
  
And avoid the circumstance  
  
Where there's no second chance to tell her hwo I feel  
  
"I will never forget you Mark" Elizabeth replied. "Our baby will grow up to know what a good man his father was. You will always be the man that holds my heart. You're my soulmate Mark Greene, and I can't believe I'm not going to be spending the rest of my life with you" Elizabeth burst into a flood of tears as she felt his hand beginning to loosen from hers. "Someday we'll be reunited" she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips for the very last time. "We shall always be together no matter what happens" Mark swallowed his pain and cast his eyes upon Elizabeth one last time. His vision blurred as his eyes closed slowly until they were completely shut. "Sweet dreams my love" she whispered as sorrow sunk in. The tears fell down her cheeks like a river, and she knew then that they would never stop flowing.  
  
So tell that someone that you love  
  
Just what you're thinking of  
  
If tomorrow never comes  
  
Authors Notes: Okay it was a sad end to this chapter, a very tearful one. The song used was called "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks. Thanks for the song Starkidtw!! So how will Elizabeth cope now that Mark has gone? How will his friends and collegues take the news? What about his daughter Rachel? And how will Elizabeth cope throughout the birth of her son without her husband by her side? Find out in the final chapter of Till Death Us Do Part!! 


	4. Till Death Us Do Part Chapter 4

Till Death Us Do Part  
  
Chapter 4  
  
  
  
Author: Lockhart  
  
E-mail: Katie@ballantyne24.freeserve.co.uk  
  
Category: Mark/Elizabeth  
  
Rating: PG13 4/4 parts  
  
Spoilers: Just a few minor ones for season 7  
  
Archive: Archive my fic on your site if you wish but please let me know first  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own ER or any of the charcters but I've asked Santa very nicely if he could bring John Carter to my doorstep on Christmas morning wrapped up in a nice big bow, tee hee hee!! This is a Mark/ Elizabeth fanfic which takes place mid season 7.  
  
Author's Notes: See end of fic  
  
Summary: Continuation of Till Death Us Do Part Chapter 3  
  
  
  
And when he shall die,  
  
Take him and cut him out in little stars,  
  
And he will make the face of heaven so fine,  
  
That all the world will be in love with night  
  
And pay no worship to the garish sun.  
  
( Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare )  
  
"Dearly beloved" the vicar spoke full of sorrow and pity. "We are gathered together here in the precense of God, to mourn the passing of Dr Mark Greene"  
  
Elizabeth could still hear the minister's words clearly inside her head. A week had passed since the death of her dear husband and not a single night passed by when she didn't cry herself to sleep. That is when she could actually manage a few hours of sleep. The woman rubbed her puffy eyes and lay down on the couch. It seemed like an eternity ago since she sat in the exact same spot in the comfort and safety of Mark's arms, watching soppy romantic movies together and eating bowl upon bowls of popcorn. If it wasn't for the baby grwoing insode of her she would have seriously considered ending her own life. There just didn't seem to be a point in living anymore if the one man she truly loved with all her heart and soul wasn't there by her side. Her unborn child was a great comfort though. A part of Mark would be with her and always remain with her. Elizabeth walked back through to her bedroom and wrapped one of Mark's old, green sweater's around her shoulders. It almost felt as though his big, strong arms were holding her tight and giving her a comforting hug. She was so frightened of the future now. Years ahead spent raising a child alone, growing old with no one by her side. What kind of life did she have to look forward to without Mark there with her? Time is a great healer, her mother told her before heading back home to England. Those words did nothing to calm Elizabeth's fears though, she simply didn't believe she could ever be happy again. Suddenly a loud knock at the doot startled the female surgeon.  
  
"Lizzie?" a familiar, bellowing voice called. "Lizzie are you there?"  
  
Elizabeth sighed deeply as she hurried through to the hallway of her grand house. She didn't particulary care for visitors at the moment, especially if the visitor was Robert Romano of all people. She simply could not take any of his obnoxious comments at a time like the present. "Hello Robert" she tried to sound enthusiastic as she opened the door.  
  
"Lizzie" he nodded, strolling right past her, not even waiting for an invitation to enter.  
  
"If it's about work I'll start back on Monday" she replied following the man through to her sitting room. "I'll work extra shifts and overtime to cover the amount of time taken off"  
  
"I know you view me as a cold-hearted, loathsome monster" Robert looked at her with a twinge of sadness in his eyes. "And I know you'll never like me either. You are one incredible woman Elizabeth Corday. You are honest, hard-working, beautiful, intelligent......."  
  
"Robert" she interrupted, dreading to think where this conversation was leading.  
  
"No let me finish" he demanded. "I just want to let you know that I do care about you.I have never seen you so happy than the time I saw you with Mark. It breaks my heart to think that I may never see that smile on your face again"  
  
"Mark was my life" she concluded. "He meant the world to me. He was the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning and the last thing at night"  
  
"I truly am sorry for you Elizabeth" Robert replied sadly.  
  
"I can't.......I can't......I'm sorry" she suddenly burst into a flood of tears leaning her small head against the man's broad shoulder.  
  
"Shhhhhh, it's okay" he whispered, holding the sobbing female tenderly in his arms. "Shhhhh it's okay. It's painful to lose the one you love, I too know the exact feeling" Robert leaned forward slightly and kissed Elizabeth's forehead. I lost you.  
  
********  
  
Kerry tapped her silver pen along the recption desk before yawning quietly. She had been working a bundle of double shifts to cover for the amount of staff absent with the flu. She was not feeling particulary great herself but it was her duty to keep the Er running smoothly and efficiently. Her mind was pre-occupied though with the death of her dear friend Mark. Although she hadn't always got on with the man, she respected him and they had seemed to grow a lot closer over the past couple of months. He truly did care about Elizabeth and Kerry still felt rather guilty for the way she had treated him before she found out he was dying. Mark Greene had not only be a good, honest and loving man but a superb doctor who always kept the interests of his patients as a top priority in his position as an Er Attending.  
  
"Dr Weaver, trauma coming in, two majors, three minors, ETA's ten minutes away" John Carter informed her as he walked towards the small, wooden desk she was sitting finishing her charts at.  
  
"Okay prepare the trauma rooms and inform the staff" Kerry replied as she ran a single hand through her short, ginger hair. "I'll be there in a minute once I've finished this chart"  
  
"Okay" John nodded at her instructions as he strolled quickly towards the adjacent trauma rooms. Life at the hospital simply didn't feel the same now that Mark was gone. Mark had been a particulary good friend to John and his death left a large, gaping hole in the younger doctor's heart. When John was brutally stabbed by the law student Paul Sobriki, Mark had been a great comfort during the awful ordeal. He had visited the younger man nearly every day as he lay in the ICU recovering from the attack. The hardest moment of John's life had been the time he became addicted to drugs following the stabbing but once again Mark had proved to be a superb friend. He didn't judge John like others did, he offered his hand in friendship and urged him to seek help. Unlike others he had been willing to give Carter another chance. He deeply cared about the residents he worked with at the hospital and made new students feel welcome and valued. Even through difficult periods such as Carol Hathaway's suicide attempt he always tried his best to keep staff morale high and good spirits throughout Cook County.  
  
"Dr Benton" Carter shouted the surgeon's name as he saw him exit Trauma three. "Dr Weaver needs you soon, incoming trauma"  
  
"Fine, I just need to pick up some medicine for a patient in curtain 2" Peter replied as he walked towards the drug lock-up. It was hard to believe that Mark was gone, it only seemed a short while ago since they were working together in the trauma rooms, saving patients lives together. Peter was a difficult man and found it hard to trust others, but Mark had proved very easy to get along with. Sure they clashed at times but the male surgeon always held a great like for the other man. Peter was very fond of Elizabeth, even though they stopped dating years agao he still considered her to be a very valuable friend. It had been wonderful to see her happy again with Mark, they truly were a perfect couple. It didn't matter what doctor it was, every person in the Er had their own reasons for sorely missing Dr Mark Greene.  
  
********  
  
"Hello Mark" Elizabeth smiled as she knelt down below his gravestone. "I brought you some lilies. Remember you said they were your favourite flowers?" The widow placed a gloved hand on the stone and traced the words that were etched with her index finger. 'Dr Mark Greene. Beloved husband, devoted friend' Simple yet poignant. It said the memories that were locked deep in Elizabeth's heart. "Robert came round to see me earlier" she continued to talk. "It's funny how the cruellest events can bring out the good side of a person. He told me to take as much time as I needed off work, especially what with the baby due. Did I tell you I felt it kick? It was wonderful Mark, such a beautiful feeling. I just wish you were here to share that magical moment. Wherever you are now I hope you are happy. I just live with the hope that someday we'll be reunited. When I go to sleep I hear your voice beside me. I dream that you whisper words of encouragement in my ears and your voice is oh so sweet. Sometimes I close my eyes in the middle of the day and see your smiling face full of love and laughter. Then when I look out to the sky at night I see your face reflecting in every single star out there" Elizabeth paused for a moment before finally laying the flowers she was holding beside the gravestone. "It hurts that you're not here though. No matter how hard I pray or hope you can never return to me. I realise I have to carry on with my life, but it doesn't stop me thinking about what could have been. Did I tell how much I loved you? Did I tell you that often enough?" Elizabeth stood up from her postion on the cold, hard ground. "I have to go Mark, even though I could spend all day here with you. If I can't actuaaly be with you, I can at least try to be as close as posssible. Little Mark sends his love and so do I. Goodbye"  
  
********  
  
Rachel tapped her short, brightly painted fingernails along the wooden kitchen table in boredom. She was supposed to be doing an English essay on somebody who has been a great influence on your life, but she simply couldn't concentrate on the task. It had been difficult to concentrate on anything since her father's death. Rachel had felt incredibly guilty because she had not been there when he passed away. She sat and wondered how scared he must have been knowing her was going to die and become seperated from the ones he loved. How she wished she could turn back the clock and give him one last great, big hug before he left. Chewing her already short fingernails, she reached into the trouser pockets of her black trousers and took out the neatly folded piece of paper inside.  
  
Dear Rachel,  
  
It's hard to believe how fast you have grown over these past years. I still remember the very day you were born, it will always remain the happiest day of my life. I have never experienced so much joy or happiness than the moment the nurse placed you into my arms. You were so tiny, so beautiful, so precious. I don't know if I ever told you this but it was me who decided on the name Rachel. A perfect name for my special, little girl. You mean the world to me, I only wish I could be around to watch you grow up. To watch you graduate from high school, to escort you up the aisle to your waiting husband, to cradle my very first grandchild in my arms. You have been such a wonderful daughter to me and a much valued friend. I'll take all the memories we've shared over the years with me and keep them locked away in my heart for eternity. From the time I played Father Christmas at your party to the time you utterd 'dadda' as your very first word. From the times I helped you to ride your bicycle to when I gave you a lending hand with your homework. Those are memories I'll treasure forever and ever. I promise to never forget you Rachel. I love you with all my heart and soul, more than any words can ever describe. No matter where you are, I'll be watching over you and guiding my special daughter through the hardships of life. Take care of Elizabeth, Jennifer and your little half-brother who will be born soon, you all have to take care of each other now that I am gone. Life is hard but enjoy the good times that it brings.I'm proud of you sweetheart, always remember that. Take care, goodbye daughter, goodbye.  
  
Rachel placed the piece of paper in front of her and picked up the blue pen that sat upon her jotter. She now knew exactly who she was going to write about.  
  
*******  
  
Elizabeth placed the cardboard box on top of the small table and collapsed onto one of the chairs that sat around it. Now eight and three quarter months pregnant, her stomack had grown very large and her ankles felt as though they might buckle under her legs at any moment. She had just spent the afternoon clearing out Mark's locker at the hospital, a task which was inevitable but had been put off for as long as possible. It had brought back so many wonderful memories, but sadly didn't bring back Mark. She had stopped crying now, all the water in her body had probably dried up with the amount of tears she had shed over the past months. Deep down in her heart though she would always remain mourning for her lost husband. Now though she kept busy looking forward to the birth of their son with great anticipation and excitement.  
  
"Good afternoon Elizabeth" Kerry walked into the locker room clutching a mug of steaming, hot coffee. "Didn't expect to see you back in the Er for a while"  
  
"Just clearing out Mark's locker" Elizabeth replied as she placed the stethocope she had been holding back into the box"  
  
"Oh" Kerry sighed sadly. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeh" the pregnant female nodded. "Everything brings back such wonderful memories. I found a photo on the inside door of his locker took when we went camping in Wisconsin....ouch!"  
  
"What, what is it?" Kerry rushed over to Elizabeth's side. "Are you in pain?"  
  
"I think the baby is on it's way" she smiled in reply, placing a hand tenderly over her large bump.  
  
********  
  
"Okay push Elizabeth, push!" Kerry encouraged the woman who was currently in labour at the very top of her voice.  
  
"I am pushing!" Elizabeth exclaimed feeling rather tired and frustrated.  
  
"C'mon Elizabeth you are doing great" Abby told her as she stroked the surgeon's long, curly strands of hair.  
  
"One more push" Kerry interrupted. "Ready?"  
  
Elizabeth screamed in intense pain when suddenly the cries of a newborn baby entered the room.  
  
"Congratulations" Weaver smiled, glowing with extreme happiness and joy as she placed the bundle of joy into the proud Elizabeth's arms. "You have a beautiful, perfectly healthy baby son"  
  
********  
  
"Hello Mark" Elizabeth smiled as she held her baby son tightly in her arms. She was sitting on a rocking chair by the window of a small room up in the OB Department. Looking out into the night sky she gazed at the beautiful, twinkling stars that lit up the darkness. "Well we did it, we have a gorgeous, healthy baby boy"  
  
We said we'd walk together baby come what may  
  
That come the twilight should we lose our way  
  
If as we're walking a hand should slip free  
  
I'll wait for you  
  
And should I fall behind  
  
Wait for me  
  
"He's so beautiful Mark, I hope you can see him" she continued as she stared at the moon. "I promise I will take good care of him. I will always be there for him when he needs my support. Little Mark will grow up to know what a wonderful man his father was. He'll grow to become proud of you"  
  
We sore we'd travel darlin' side by side  
  
We'd help each other stay in stride  
  
But each lover's steps fall so differently  
  
So I'll wait for you  
  
And should I fall behind  
  
Wait for me  
  
"I know you'll always be watching over us though, I am ceratin of that fact. Your unconditional love will remain throughout our whole lives. I still wish you were here beside me, every night I pray you will return but sadly I know my prayers will always remain unanswered. It was such a magical moment when I heard our son's cries as he entered into this world. The moment we had dreamed about for ages"  
  
Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true  
  
But you and I know what this world can do  
  
So let's make our steps clear that the other may see  
  
And I'll wait for you  
  
Should I fall behind  
  
Wait for me  
  
"Kerry was a great support during the birth, she kept her promise to you. I know we are seperated from each other my love, but wait for me and one day we shall be reunited as a family. I dream of that day every night as I sleep alone. Wait for me and I promise I'll return to you"  
  
Now there's a beautiful river in the valley ahead  
  
And there 'neath the oak's bough, soon we will be wed  
  
Should we lose each other  
  
In the shadow of the evening tress  
  
I'll wait for you  
  
And should I fall behind  
  
Wait for me  
  
Darlin' I'll wait for you  
  
Should I fall behind  
  
Wait for me  
  
"Till death us do part Mark Greene" Elizabeth finished speaking as she lovingly cradled her newborn son in the comfort and safety of her arms. "Till death us do part"  
  
Oh, wait for me  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Well that's Till Death Us Do Part come to an end, hope you all enjoyed it folks!! The song used at the end there was 'If I Should Fall Behind' by Bruce Springsteen but also sang by Faith Hill. I probably wrote Romano completely out of character in this chapter but my next fanfic which will be about him, will explain all. So hope you enjoyed it, feel free to send feedback at Katie@ballantyne24.freeserve.co.uk Also if you have any ideas for new fanifcs or how I could inprove my writing also feel free to e-mail me. Until next time, byeeeeeeeee!!!!! 


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